USA Cricketer : 2011 ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier

USA Cricket: Episode 3 - Guest Darren Beazley Part 1 of the US Cricket Podcast

openingbat — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:40:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

In part one of a two-part interview, USACA CEO Darren Beazley discusses his background coming from Western Australia where he was an administrator in several different sports including cricket, sailing and Australian Rules Football prior to taking on the position as the USA Cricket Association’s chief executive in February. Among other topics, Beazley also talks about how he hopes to rectify the lack of domestic women’s cricket tournaments since the team came back from the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh as well as how he hopes to recruit the 32 disenfranchised leagues from the 2012 USACA election back into the USACA fold.

The full episode can be accessed by clicking here and is also available for free download on iTunes. The following is a brief selection of quotes from part one of the interview.

Image (right) - USACA CEO Darren Beazley speaking at the tournament banquet following the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 in Florida. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Peter Della Penna: One of the interesting things I found out about you is that way back when, you used to coach or teach lacrosse in Australia. Kind of similar in some ways to what you’re doing here, I can’t imagine lacrosse is a very popular sport in Australia. What was that experience like and what are some of the things you think you can take from that and some of the other jobs you’ve had - you’ve worked with development in the Australian Football League in South Africa, those kind of things. What are some of the things you learned from kind of developing a sport and teaching and spreading a sport where it’s not very popular in those territories that you think you can apply here?

Darren Beazley: My view when I was teaching – I used to be a phys ed teacher many moons ago and that’s where I taught the lacrosse – was that we have a responsibility to expose young people to all types of games. Now lacrosse was a game in Australia that not many of my students had ever played and the thing I liked about it, it was a really good leveling sport because all of a sudden they weren’t playing through the planes like a vertical plane with a cricket shot or a horizontal plane with a baseball shot because all of a sudden you’re catching and throwing from above the waist and there’s not many sports where you do that, particularly with an implement. So it was a great leveler to find out which were the good hand-eye, but also it’s a very fast running game so which were the good athletes who had the big tanks. I guess I took a lot of that knowledge into developing a niche sport in South Africa and I’m going to apply that knowledge here. What are the fundamentals? The fundamentals are that you need to make sure that the experience that you have is an excellent one because there’s too many reasons for young people who come and taste the sport to not play it. Football is very big here, baseball is very big here. So if they come down to cricket and they have a bad experience, the coach doesn’t make it fun or is too hard on the young person coming down, they’re not going to hang around. They’ll go whereas if you’re in an established sport like cricket is in Perth or in Australia, if the coach is a bit hard on you you’re more likely to keep coming back because it is the sport. I think that’s really important and our coaches need to understand no matter where they are in America, they’ve got a responsibility to give our kids a good experience the first time. The second thing in terms of high performance like my very brief involvement with the men’s national team, same thing. We’ve got to make sure that when they come into the national team that everything is done very professionally and very well so that they think they’re part of something very special because if you do it half-hearted, then they’ll go, ‘This sport’s not serious. This sport’s never going to make an impact on the landscape’ and therefore they’re going to go and choose something else. If I can take one lesson that I’ve learned from Major League Soccer, I think the work that they’ve done and I know it’s been a long time that they’ve been doing it, but from what I can see from the outside, they seem to have done a very very professionally run league and I think they’ve shown what can be done. I think cricket can learn a lot from Major League Soccer.

PDP: What do you see the state of cricket in this country at the moment? A lot of people like making the comparison to soccer and they say cricket is right now is where soccer was 30 years ago or 40 years ago and look where soccer is now. What do you see as the state of cricket and how far off cricket can be from becoming that status that soccer is enjoying now in this country?

DB: It’s the biggest challenge I think I face Peter because I’d like to first of all say to your listeners that the volunteers that have got US Cricket to the point that they have should be really proud of themselves. You think about 49 leagues, 1100 teams across the country, about 35,000 people playing the game, that’s a fantastic effort. But it’s all been done on the back of volunteers by and large. My sense is looking at this I don’t know how much further US Cricket could continue to grow on the basis of volunteerism and the reason for that is that our jobs are more and more demanding. Our appreciation of family time is becoming more apparent so people are less and less likely to give up huge amounts of times to go and try and keep things going… This is the big challenge I think for US Cricket to make that move from amateurism to professionalism. What that means is that there’s going to have to be a real delicate balance from my team at USACA to make sure that we completely respect the work that the volunteers have done to this point and to celebrate the great work that they’ve done and in the same time for the volunteers to understand that things have changed. They do need to let go and they do need to take a bit of advice from people who are doing this in a professional capacity. My sense is from the people I’ve met – and I haven’t been over to the west coast yet – but I’ve been in my seven or eight weeks I’ve been in the job, I’ve been around to a lot of places and I’ve met some really good people. I’m pretty confident that we can make a dent. Now further to your point, can we get as far as soccer has in that time? I’m not sure yet Peter. I haven’t seen enough of it to comment on that but I think we’ve got a good foundation.

PDP: A lot of womens players around the country are very frustrated at the lack of opportunities. USA qualified for the 2011 Women’s World Cup Qualifier. It was a big moment for development in US Cricket, in particular women’s development, and things have stalled since then. There was a great opportunity to sustain momentum and keep momentum going in the right direction but since the women have come back from Bangladesh, there has not been a single domestic tournament organized for them. There were some promises made in 2012 for a women’s tournament. Never happened. How do you get that momentum and that faith restored in the women’s program?

DB: I’ve spoken to two ladies, two women’s coordinators, one from New York and one from here in the South East Region. She’s based in Georgia. My first step is to actually get the women’s representatives from each of the eight regions. At the last USACA board meeting, all regional representatives were asked to put up the name of that person. We’ll speak in the next two weeks and I want to get a national view of this of what they’d like to see happen from that. We’ll then develop part of our overall strategy will be, a core pillar will be aimed at women’s cricket. We will devise some sort of a system for this year. I think it’s important. I don’t know how it looks Peter but I think it’s important. What you’re saying is right that our ladies get a chance to play together and have some sort of an opportunity this year because as I said if we’re going to undertake international duties in 2014, we need to start doing that now. I can’t say after eight weeks in the job exactly what that looks like, but I am firmly committed to making sure that there is some opportunity for the ladies to get together and play some sort of competitive cricket.

PDP: One of the things that has bothered a lot of stakeholders around the country is how that elections played out over the course of 2011 and 2012. Reintegration has been a buzzword in international cricket over the last year. Kevin Pietersen’s reintegration process, Ross Taylor’s reintegration process with New Zealand. What is the reintegration process for the 32 leagues that were disenfranchised and not allowed to vote in the last USACA election?

DB: I’m not really 100% sure about all the facts in that. Obviously I’ve spoken to a lot of stakeholders and they’ve certainly told me their view of it good and bad. What I’m here for, I’ve made a big commitment to come here. This is personally I guess for me terrific because my family is from the US but this is a really challenging job but I’m doing it for one reason because I was lucky enough to play cricket in Australia but also overseas and cricket’s been good to me. It’s my turn to put something back. So that’s my motivation. In terms of some of the things that have happened, what I’m hoping to do is I’ve now spoken to seven of the eight regions. Some people are pro-USACA and some are very vocally not pro-USACA but I’ve offered the olive branch. I’ve said I’m happy to talk to everybody. I’ve mapped out some of my ideas and some of my views and it’s resonated. We have got now some member leagues that have paid their dues, already become financial in the last few weeks that are saying, ‘You know what. I’m not happy with what necessarily happened last year but I’m prepared to be a big enough person to put it behind me and I’m gonna give this guy a go’ and I really appreciate that support. Peter, not everyone has done that and I respect that too. That’s fine. But you know what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna keep doing what I’m doing. I think that further to what I said previously that most people are not silly that are involved in cricket. They can see good administration when they see it. They recognize it. So my job over the next six to 12 months is to put in place a serious sustainable long-term cricket structure that will have people wanting to come back on board. To those that haven’t signed up again, I would ask you to reconsider. I would ask you please to give us a go, pay your USACA membership. There is a governance committee which is headed up by Shelton Glasgow. Once you’ve paid your USACA membership, they will come in contact with you and they will walk you through what needs to be done in order to address some of the issues. For those that say, ‘No. I don’t want to do that. I’m going to sit back for a year,’ I’ll respect that too. But you know what? I’ll work with anybody to do my very best for US Cricket. It’s not one that I’m going to be able to wave a magic wand Peter, as much as I’d like to, and pretend that some of the things in the past haven’t happened and I don’t want to make comment one way or the other. It’s not for me to do that. I can only look forward. I’m not trying to pretend that what happened in the past didn’t happen, but I can’t really change it and I don’t know enough about it so my sense is the best thing I can do is continue to try and make those offers and those that want to come with us will. Those that don’t? Well, they can make their own decision.

USA Cricket: Preparation? What Preparation?

openingbat — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 06:49:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

After the USA U-18 team lost their first two matches in Florida last week at the 2012 ICC Americas U-18 Match Play Camp, getting bowled out for paltry totals of 84 and 112 in the process, a parent of one of the players approached me to ask a question. “In your journalistic opinion, what did you think of the preparation this team had ahead of playing these matches?” I responded, “Preparation? What preparation?” The parent then nodded before walking away.

Benjamin Franklin is credited with bringing a copy of the Laws of Cricket to the USA from a trip to England in the mid 18th century. That shouldn’t be the last contribution he is credited with for cricket in America. Current administrators might want to heed a quote that is attributed to him. “If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”

This has yet to register with the USACA brain trust though. The administration has a well-established habit of failing to do what it can to prepare USA teams adequately for international tournaments. As a result, USA has had a succession of failures at recent ICC events: 6th out of 6 teams at 2011 ICC WCL Division Three, 7th out of 10 teams at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier, 8th out of 10 teams at the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier, 12th out of 16 teams at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.

The last place finish of USA’s U-18 squad at the ICC Americas event last week was another example. The tournament was organized with the goal in mind to gauge where each country is at heading into next year’s ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier for the Americas Region. USACA has not held a national U-19 tournament since August 2010 and has never held a national U-17 tournament. Most of the players who were on this squad last played in a national level tournament at the U-15 level which would could have been 12 months ago for some players and 24 months ago for others.

Players in the 15 to 19 age bracket can experience drastic physical and skill changes in a 12-24 month time span. With no junior national tournament held for 12 months, selection at the very least can turn into a crap shoot, but more often it becomes a political free-for-all as different regional administrators jockey for position to get as many of their players, who sometimes double as their sons, selected as possible. The result of zero preparation ahead of that tournament was on full display when USA lost by 115 runs in their first match and again by six wickets in the second before the team started to find its feet. It’s very clear based on the stats coming from that event that more than a few players did not merit selection in the first place.

There hasn’t been any USACA men’s national tournament in 13 months and there hasn’t been a USACA 50-over men’s tournament since November 2010. The last time USACA organized something for senior men’s players as some form of preparation was a fitness and selection camp in January prior to heading to the UAE. After USA’s last place finish in Hong Kong at 2011 WCL Division Three and again after they failed to reach the knockout stage of the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, it was clear that they suffered from a lack of preparation.

Images (above) - Clockwise from top left Steve Massiah, Aditya Thyagarajan, Rashard Marshall and Timroy Allen. Could they be making a return to the USA squad for ICC WCL Division Four in Malaysia this September? [Images of Massiah, Allen and Marshall courtesy of ICC/Daniela Zaharia, image of Thyagarajan courtesy of DreamCricket.com/Peter Della Penna]

Yet, the USACA administration has sat on their hands for the last four months and done nothing to get a squad ready to play in what will be a very difficult tournament in Malaysia at 2012 WCL Division Four this September. The hosts along with Singapore and Nepal possess spin heavy attacks which will present problems for any team, but especially a team that is grossly underprepared. If there was ever a time where a selection camp or national tournament was needed ahead of a crucial ICC promotion and relegation event, this was it.

What’s most puzzling of all is why there haven’t been any domestic USACA tournaments for over a year now. In 2011, several tournaments were postponed or canceled and the fallback excuse was that it was for “financial” reasons, meaning a lack of funds. How can USACA cry poor in one breath while using the next to huff and puff about the millions of dollars that are flowing in as a result of signing their deal with New Zealand Cricket and other investors to form Cricket Holdings America? USACA President Gladstone Dainty said in December 2010 that USACA would be receiving $2 million dollars per year as part of the deal. This doesn’t include the money that USACA gets for being an Associate member of the ICC. Where is all this money going? What’s it being used on?

USACA announced on July 5, a day after the ICC officially announced that WCL Division Four would take place from September 3-10, that USACA would “shortly be announcing a preliminary short-list squad from which the final 14 will be selected. It is anticipated that Team USA will depart on August 26 for pre-tournament training and acclimatization.”

At the time, rumors were circulating that 32 names had been slapped together from different regions for a selection camp in Florida in order to help pick a squad. In typical USACA fashion, the administration dragged its feet and nothing happened. All ICC Tournaments require that the final 14-man (or 15-man depending on the event) squads must be submitted 30 days prior to the first match, which would mean Friday, August 3 for this tournament. With no camp scheduled for this weekend or next, it’s expected that rather than have any sort of fitness and selection camp with an extended list of players ahead of August 3, USACA will instead skip straight ahead to announce a 14-man squad.

If there is no camp or camps prior to this 14-man squad leaving for Malaysia on August 26th, they won’t arrive until late on the 27th or early on the 28th. They will then have at best six days but more likely five days of practice before the first match. With no national tournament, selection camp or group training sessions held at any point in the weeks and months prior to a team being selected and leaving, five days of practice before the first live match is not good enough from the administration and it’s not fair on the players who are saddled with such a heavy responsibility of representing the national team on the field.

There is also the matter of building or rebuilding team chemistry. Rumors are circulating that there could be several much needed changes made to the squad as veteran players may be making a return to boost the strength and depth in the squad, particularly in the batting department, that was missing in the UAE in March. Steve Massiah, Aditya Thyagarajan, Timroy Allen and Rashard Marshall are all being discussed as additions to the USA team according to numerous sources. Having players of this caliber return will definitely improve USA’s chances of being promoted to Division Three in Bermuda, but it is not a foregone conclusion that they’ll finish first or second in Malaysia just by showing up.

Without having adequate preparation ahead of a tournament, the evidence from the UAE in March showed that it took USA until their fifth match before they finally started to hit their stride and notched their first win. If it takes them that long in Malaysia, they will already have secured relegation to Division Five and will have missed out on participating in an ICC World Cup Qualifier for the second consecutive time. Conversely, a top two finish will send them to Division Three in Bermuda and a top two finish at that event in 2013 will propel them to the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand.

It’s up to the USACA administration to prepare the USA national teams for success, first by picking the best 14 players possible and second by giving them the tools to succeed. If USACA fails to prepare the squad adequately for WCL Division Four in Malaysia which starts in just over six weeks, then fans, followers and stakeholders of the USA men’s national team should prepare for the team to fail.

[Views expressed in this article are those of the author. If you have differing views or opinions, we respect those views and urge you to provide your feedback - both positive and negative - in the comments section.]

USA Cricket: Why is USACA paying Robin Singh if he's having a "bad experience" working for USACA?

openingbat — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:27:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

Friday afternoon at the IPL, the Mumbai Indians team was on its way to defeat at the hands of the Pune Warriors when sideline reporter Shibani Dandekar pulled aside Mumbai Indians head coach Robin Singh, who also sometimes acts as USA’s “coach” and other times their “technical advisor”, for a brief interview in the 10th over of Mumbai’s failed chase.

After Dandekar got a few questions out of the way regarding the state of the match and the quality of Mumbai’s fielding unit, she threw in a question about USA cricket, which may have caught the eyes and ears of viewers in America.

“A little birdie told me that you also coached the US Women’s team for the qualifiers,” said Dandekar, referencing the squad that competed in November at the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh. “What was that experience like?”

“Well that was pretty bad,” Singh blurted out. He may have been candid but he was also quite ungracious. However, the worst was yet to come.

“I think it was the first time I was doing women’s cricket,” said Singh. “It’s very very different. I mean, you have to drop your mental standards with them. It’s a total change. It’s absolutely different.”

Dandekar then tried to offer a chance for Singh to perhaps take back some of what he just said. “But you enjoyed it…” Dandekar responded back to him.

Singh took a few moments before offering a half-hearted and utterly unconvincing, “Yeah….” mixed in with a shoulder shrug. “I mean it’s different. You have to rethink how you strategize and so forth.”

Maybe it’s time for USACA to have a rethink about how to strategize their use of financial resources towards a “technical advisor” or “coach” who doesn’t sound terribly enthusiastic about being involved with US cricket and is ready to insult the intelligence of female players with what can only be characterized as sexist remarks. Singh saying he had to drop his “mental standards” when dealing with female cricketers implies they are intellectually inferior to male athletes he coaches.

I wonder what the female players and supporters of United States cricket have to say about that. It’s a cheap, pathetic statement one would expect out of someone living in the 1950s. The only amusing part about it is that it’s coming from the guy who sources have indicated was the brains behind sending Abhimanyu Rajp in to bat at number three against Ireland last month at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai.

Let’s look at Robin Singh’s track record so far in US cricket:

- 1st place finish (out of six teams) with the USA U-19 team at the 2011 ICC Americas U-19 tournament in Florida. The standard of competition was scraping the bottom of the barrel at that event.
- USA U-19 is swept in a four-match series by West Indies U-19 in Florida last July.
- 7th place finish (out of 10 teams) at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Ireland. USA fails to qualify for 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup.
- 8th place finish (out of 10 teams) at the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh. USA fails to qualify for 2013 ICC Women’s World Cup.
- 12th place finish (out of 16 teams) at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE. USA fails to qualify for 2012 ICC World Twenty20.

Singh claims that he had a “bad experience” with the USA Women’s team, but on the evidence above, it looks like USA Cricket as a whole has had a very bad experience with Robin Singh. Why does USACA continue to let him fleece their tiny bank account if he’s having a “bad experience” with US cricket?

Image (right) - Robin Singh [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket]

He blames his experience with the US women’s team on having to drop his “mental standards” when coaching them. However, he also said that he had never coached women before. Clearly, this is an admission that he was unqualified and unprepared for the duties he was assigned to carry out in coaching the USA Women’s team in Bangladesh, yet he had no issues swooping into Dhaka like a vulture to snatch a paycheck from USACA. It’s also interesting to note that after Singh’s “bad experience” with the women’s team in November, he didn’t have any issues parachuting himself into the men’s touring party in the UAE last month to collect another easy paycheck as a “technical advisor”.

Let’s look at the results again: one success against substandard competition followed by four overwhelming failures. Each failure was worse than the previous one. Singh has shown no interest in coming to help players with practice and training on US soil prior to entering tournaments. Rather, he conveniently shows up on site as a tournament is about to get underway for a shameless cash grab.

Muhammad Ali once said, “The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” Conversely, Singh and USACA’s administration feel they can cut corners to achieve success by sending teams to show up at tournaments with little or no preparation beforehand and just expect them to win. What was that again about dropping mental standards?

USA Cricket: Dutch young guns too much as USA loses by 225 runs at ICC Women's WC Qualifier

openingbat — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:15:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation

The Netherlands opener Miranda Veringmeier stroked 99 to help her side to an insurmountable total of 329 for 5 on the way to a 225-run win over USA on Thursday at the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The 19-year-old Veringmeier was named player of the match for her efforts, which included a 118-run stand for the second wicket with the Netherlands captain Helmien Rambaldo. USA remains winless at 0-2 with the loss while the Netherlands moves to 2-1.

The Netherlands won the toss and elected to bat first as USA conceded the second highest total of the tournament and the highest by an Associate team at the event. South Africa’s total of 343 for 5 against USA on Tuesday is the highest team score so far in the qualifier. Veringmeier and Denise Hannema added 48 for the first wicket until their partnership was ended when USA captain Doris Francis ran out Hannema for 17 in the 12th over.

From there, USA’s bowlers failed to make an impact as Rambaldo and Veringmeier combined for one of two century partnerships on the day for the Dutch side. Veringmeier appeared well on her way to a ton but was denied by Samantha Ramautar, who bowled the teenager just a run short of reaching the coveted three-figure milestone to make it 166 for 2 in the 32nd over. Rambaldo was given lbw for 41 five overs later as Ramautar claimed her second scalp to make it 190 for 3.

USA failed to exert pressure with the fall of wickets though as Esther Lanser joined Kerry-Anne Tomlinson at the wicket and the two gave the innings a rapid acceleration, posting 110 runs for the fourth wicket in just 12.1 overs. By comparison, the 118-run stand between Rambaldo and Veringmeier spanned 19.5 overs. The Netherlands ended the 38th over with the score at 201 for 3, but less than 10 overs later they’d reached 300 when Lanser hit her seventh boundary. It brought up her half-century in just 41 balls, but one delivery later she was bowled by Claudine Beckford.

The 21-year-old Tomlinson kept motoring along without her as the Netherlands wound up adding 109 runs in the final 10 overs, including 51 in the final five. Tomlinson reached her 50 in the 45th over off just 42 balls with seven fours and a six. She fell in the last over to Beckford for 80 off 58 balls, finishing with 10 boundaries and a six in her brisk knock.

Beckford was introduced for the first time in the 46th over and despite taking two wickets proved very expensive, giving away 31 runs in three overs. Ramautar finished with 2 for 55 in her 10 while opening pacer Triholder Marshall was the most economical bowler for USA with figures of 0 for 52 in 10. Two days after giving away just nine wides and 19 extras overall to South Africa, USA contributed 23 wides and 33 extras to the Netherlands.

USA demonstrated determination by grinding their way to 145 against a Full Member nation on Tuesday, but took a step back on Thursday batting against an Associate attack. Tomlinson showed just as much skill with the ball by removing both USA openers, Durga Das and Nadia Gruny, inside the first eight overs for 5 and 7 respectively to make it 17 for 2. Shebani Bhaskar came to the crease and scored 19 runs in a 28-run stand with Francis before she was dismissed by off-spinner Esther Lanser who struck again four balls later to remove Joan Alexander for a duck. Lanser continued to put the clamps down on USA’s lineup by bowling five maidens in her 10-over spell. Along the way she had Francis stumped for 12 to make it 57 for 5 in the 22nd over.

Erica Rendler joined Marshall to produce a 29-run stand for the sixth wicket. The partnership was the longest of the tournament for USA in terms of deliveries faced as the pair shared the crease for 21.4 overs. While the two women kept the Dutch attack at bay, they also struggled to score runs as the maidens continued to pile up. The Netherlands bowled 16 maidens in all, four more than South Africa tallied against the USA. USA’s bowlers have managed just one maiden in two games.

The partnership ended when Marshall gave a return catch to off-spinner Esther de Lange to make it 86 for 6 at the end of 43 overs. Ramautar lasted two deliveries before she was bowled by de Lange and Rendler fell to the same bowler at the start of the 47th for 15. Rendler and Bhaskar, the only two American-born players in the squad, wound up with USA’s highest scores off the bat in the match. Still, they were outdone by extras which contributed 29 to USA’s total.

Tomlinson came back late for a second spell and trapped Sara Farooq lbw for a duck to make it 94 for 9 in the 48th over. Beckford was run out by Veringmeier for 4 to seal the innings with one ball left unused as USA was bowled out for 104 in 49.5 overs. de Lange finished with the best figures for the Netherlands, taking 3 for 8 in 10 overs with five maidens. Lanser finished with 3 for 11 while Tomlinson took 3 for 21.

In the other match in Group A on Thursday, Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets. Sri Lanka sent Zimbabwe in to bat and wound up bowling them out for 62 in 41.4 overs before chasing the target in 10.5 overs. The Netherlands had a near identical experience against Sri Lanka in their encounter on Tuesday when they were bowled out for 61 in 41.3 overs before losing by seven wickets.

USA’s next match is against Zimbabwe on Friday at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. The match will be televised live on Bangladesh local television channel ATN Bangla beginning at 10 pm EST in America.

USA Cricket: Fraser claims women's stance was about respect, not money

openingbat — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:47:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna

Former USA women’s team head coach Linden Fraser says that the dispute which arose in the original 18-player squad for the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier was borne out of a lack of respect shown to the women.

“The whole thing I’ve been seeing that the women has been holding USACA to ransom, that this thing is all about the money, that’s a total fabrication of the truth,” said Fraser in a recent interview. “Yes, the money is a part of it, but the money is not the main issue. The main issue these women have with the board, or I should say Dainty who happens to be President who is making all the decisions, they feel they’re not being treated properly by the board. They felt that they were being treated like second class citizens and I can agree with them on that.”

Fraser denies rumors circulating that he instructed women to demand that they would not play if Fraser was not the coach. He says that he was cast aside for standing up to the administration on behalf of the women and also for asking to be paid for his coaching position.

“This thing about me being the coach was because I stood up for the women because I felt the women was not being treated properly,” said Fraser. “They were being thrown into the wilderness and nobody cared about them and I stood up for that. I know I would have been taken out as the coach because it happened before. This is not the first time it has happened under Dainty’s leadership.”

“I was told it should be an honor for me to coach the USA team. They told me I should go and coach the US team for free. Hell no. I’ve been doing that since I’ve been in the US, doing stuff without getting paid for it and I realized that they have other people nowhere near as qualified as me coach the national team and are being paid to do that.”

Image (right) - Linden Fraser [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Fraser says that the women initially began to feel let down over the summer when it became apparent that USACA was not going to be able to follow through on having the three training camps that were promised to them prior to traveling to Bangladesh for the qualifier. According to Fraser, there was enough money in a proposed budget for the usage of a $100,000 grant from The Apple Pickers Foundation to allow for three camps. He blames the fact that three camps did not happen on financial mismanagement by USACA and does not entirely believe that the 10-day camp to Barbados cost $63,000 as quoted by former USACA Cricket Committee chairman Krish Prasad.

Of the players who were originally in the squad, the only ones who did not go to Bangladesh were from the Tri-State Lynx team which Fraser coaches. Fraser denies that there was a rift between Lynx and non-Lynx players, but acknowledges that there were problems that developed on the Barbados tour which he did not want to discuss. According to several sources, manager Louise Browne-Jackson wrote a tour report which was highly critical of Fraser for his handling of players both on and off the field. “We’re in the 21st century and things that used to happen back when the manager were playing don’t happen now,” said Fraser.

When asked if he felt the women in the squad should have shown more solidarity in their stance with the stipend, Fraser said it was up to each individual player to do what was best for themselves. A letter was sent to USACA and signed by 15 players asking for stipends equivalent to what men’s players receive. Several of the players who signed that letter wound up being selected, including new captain Doris Francis. “They all said they were sticking together, but I don’t know what happened,” said Fraser.

The former women’s coach also says that the women all pledged to go to Bangladesh during a conference call with Andy Pick several days before the squad was announced. The players also apparently had a conference call with USACA President Gladstone Dainty which Fraser claims to have listened in on during which he says Dainty told the players that the team would be picked by then captain Candacy Atkins and two of the coaches, Mark Johnson and Howard Johnson, who supervised last month’s camp in Florida. Instead, he claims an entirely different squad was announced with all but two Lynx players – Nadia Gruny and Shebani Bhaskar – replaced. Fraser felt the original squad had a realistic chance of qualifying for the 2013 ICC Women’s World Cup, but says that the recent decisions of the administration have “pushed women’s cricket 20 years back.”

“I know all these women that has been selected,” said Fraser. “Bangladesh is not a joke and this team that we have here going to Bangladesh? I’m sorry it’s embarrassing, very very embarrassing. I’m not gonna take away anything from none of the women but it’s a big big embarrassment. There were seven players in the original team that are not there and those are seven of the best players.”

“As the ICC said, there’s no country in the Americas who can come up with a second XI team and that is exactly what’s happening here. With all due respect to them, they are all promising but not the level that is expected to play in a qualifier. They are promising, but they’re not at that level.”

USA’s first match at the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier is against South Africa on Tuesday. South Africa beat Sri Lanka by six runs on the opening day of matches in Dhaka on Monday.

USACA wins, women's cricket loses

openingbat — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:01:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna

“In my opinion countries in this region do not have the depth to select 'B' squads to represent them at this level.”

Those are the words of Martin Vieira, the ICC Americas Regional Development Manager in an email sent to the USACA brain trust last week. Unfortunately, his plea to USACA to sort out a dispute with the women’s squad has fallen on deaf ears. USACA has selected the final 14 players that will represent not just USA but the Associate arm of the Americas Region next month in Bangladesh at the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier. Missing from the list are half of the names that appeared in the original 18-player squad in July.

For anyone who thought that USA’s on-field nadir for 2011 took place in Hong Kong when the men were bowled out by Papua New Guinea for 44 and eventually demoted to Division Four of the World Cricket League, think again. It appears that this year’s worst has been saved for last.

Even by USA cricket standards, the buildup to the women’s squad’s departure for Bangladesh has been nothing short of bizarre. In fact, it would be more accurate to call it a tear down. The decision to axe Linden Fraser from his role as USA Women’s coach was only a harbinger of things to come. A protest led by most of his Tri-State Lynx players to achieve the dual task of getting their coach back into the Bangladesh touring party while getting themselves the same stipend that men’s players receive on tour has backfired in spectacular fashion.

By leaving out Indomatie Goordial-John, Candacy Atkins, Monique Mathee, Karen Bayles, Shinead Emerson, Melissa Sandy, Triholder Marshall and Shondell Ward, USACA is not merely cutting off its nose to spite its face. The national body has initiated a head to toe exercise in self-mutilation.

Image (right) - The Tri-State Lynx squad with coach Linden Fraser. Nine TSL players were in the preliminary USA squad for the 2011 ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier, but only one remains. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket]

In addition to winning its battle with many of the women’s players who dared to request equal pay for equal play, USACA has also succeeded by doing its best to scare away future investors and benefactors foolish enough to part with their hard-earned cash. John Warburg and The Apple Pickers Foundation donated $100,000 to USACA this summer, money that was earmarked for the women’s cricket program to help prepare the preliminary 18-player USA squad for the upcoming qualifier in Bangladesh.

$63,000 of that money was spent to send 13 out of the 18 players to Barbados in August for a 10-day training camp. Eight out of the 13 players who went to that camp were omitted from the final 14 who will go to Bangladesh. A simple calculation shows that USACA wasted just under $39,000 on players who they now feel do not deserve to go to Bangladesh. For an organization that prides itself on fiscal irresponsibility, that is a staggering achievement.

In addition to John Warburg, Andy Pick and Wendell Coppin must be absolutely thrilled to have donated their time so needlessly to the USACA cause. The two ICC Americas officers brought loads of experience and coaching acumen to the women’s team while working with them at the camp in Barbados. The majority of the women can now take those skill sets and philosophies they learned and apply them by sitting on their couches up and down the east coast instead of on cricket grounds around Dhaka.

So much talk was made over the past year by women’s players and USACA administrators about how the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier was USA’s best chance to make a splash on the world cricket stage. The team that’s now been selected has a better chance of drowning.

[Views expressed in this article are those of the author.]

USACA announces USA Women's squad for 2011 ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier

openingbat — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:32:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

USACA web site media release

USACA announces its Women’s Team to participate ICC Women’s World Cup Global
Qualifier to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from November 12 to 27, 2011. The Team
will depart for Bangladesh on November 5.

Doris Francis – Captain
Akshatha Rao
Anahita Arora
Claudine Beckford
Delkash Shahriarian
Durga Das
Erica Rendler
Grace Chadderton-Richards
Joan Serrano
Nadia Gruny
Ritu Bhargava
Samantha Ramautar
Sara Farooq
Shebani Bhaskar

Manager – Louise Browne-Jackson
Coach – Robin Singh
Asst. Coach – Asif Mujtaba

NYR Chairman Lester Hooper writes letter to league presidents urging them to 'unite for one common goal'

openingbat — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:13:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

The following is a letter titled, "Time for us to unite for one common goal" addressed to USACA league presidents and administrators. It was written by New York Regional Chairman Lester Hooper at 1:16 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11 and obtained from a source.

Regional Directors And League Presidents,

Let me be clear about this. Gladstone Dainty will always be Gladstone Dainty. As much as it is always healthy to express your views via emails, articles, etc., none of said actions will change the thought process and actions of Gladstone Dainty. We can all sit here and throw the blame at his door step but after awhile we as cricket administrators and stakeholders will eventually have to take the blame for allowing this circus to go on. We are all so caught up with how many players from our respective region make the US team or whether or not the coach and manager is from our region than we neglect the most important thing that makes it all worthwhile, cricket. Folks I like many of you came from a background where the game of cricket took precedence. The thick politics, nepotism and favoritism had no place.

As of a few weeks ago, the USA women's team was preparing to enter their final camp before going off to Bangladesh. As of this morning, the coach Linden Fraser was removed and replaced by the expensive Mumbai coach Robin Singh and the team manger is in the process of making calls to members of the team informing them that they are being replaced in the US squad. Why? Because coach Fraser inquired about the $100,000.00 that was given to USACA to prepare the ladies for Bangladesh and the ladies voiced their 1st amendment right in objecting to the stipend they were offered to tour Bangladesh, respectively. It really saddens me that USACA does not have money to prepare our national team and run our national tournaments but have the necessary funds to pay a coach a minimum of $10,000 for a week or two. Once again I ask the question, when the tour is over what happens to the women? Folks this is the second time for the year that USACA is paying a coach thousands of dollars just to chaperone a US squad without any help to their long term development. No disrespect to coach Robin Singh whom I respect greatly but as a professional I'm sure he knows that there is only so much you can do coming in a day or two before a tournament and not knowing the players. The same case can be made for our U19 who just came back from Ireland recently. Will Robin be doing any work with them in the near future? Will Robin be instructing our local coaches? Will he be conducting open sessions in the various regions? The only time I hear the name Robin Singh is just before a US team goes on tour. Folks this is unacceptable. Let's pay Robin his worth but let him earn that money by aiding in the development of US cricket.

On the other hand, the ladies in training to represent the USA in Bangladesh are now being informed that they are being replaced by a second string team. We as regional directors and league presidents need to stand up and say enough is enough. My guess is that some of you regional directors will allow players from your region to participate in this second string team which will once again facilitate the actions of President Dainty. Why? So that you can stand up and say several players from my region made the US team. What you fail to realize is that the ICC is currently monitoring the situation and they are asking the same question that many of us are asking. Why are the league presidents allowing this to happen? They are the ones who have all the power. Yet, they sit idly by as President Dainty continues to drive USACA towards another suspension. Who are we going to blame this time? Dainty? No, all of us will be held equally accountable this time around. The person that witnesses a rape and fails to report it is just as guilty as the perpetrator. Yet, you will all sit by as the second string USA team is made to be the biggest joke at the World Cup Qualifiers. I urge the regional directors and league presidents not to facilitate the actions of President Dainty. Send a message to him that we will all hold one front in the defence of cricket in the USA and the USACA organization . If not, I promise you that individuals outside of the US will make the decision for you.

Those of you in alliance with President Dainty, I can only wish that you would do your duties in the interest of USACA and the many cricketers, administrators and stakeholders who are currently doing their part to help USACA reach better and greater heights. We cannot continue to have a dysfunctional board and expect to be taken seriously by the cricket community. Many within the US have voiced their opinions on President Dainty's unconstitutional actions over the past few months. Yet, you in alliance have remained quiet. Do you agree with his actions or are you afraid to voice your true opinion? I personally do not have an axe to grind with the President but folks once again, enough is enough.

I am not one to get involve in USACA politics but folks how do you sit by as the game that you love is being destroyed on a national level and by extension a regional level. This is not about John Aaron or Linden Fraser, the several women from New York who are currently being treated unfairly or any particular region. Today its these folks tomorrow its someone from your region. We need to be more united than in the past. Cricket in this country can grow into something we can all be proud of; however, if we continue to go down this path, we can all share the same disastrous fate. Folks lets wake up and do the right thing. President Dainty's unilateral decisions will eventually cost us a price that we cannot afford. Whether it is another suspension or someone like the Don Lockerbie winning a multi million law suit against USACA. Folks, call an emergency meeting and lets get USACA back on track.

Regards,

Lester Hooper

Director NYCR

USA Cricket: Robin Singh to coach USA Women in Bangladesh

openingbat — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:02:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna

An email written today by USACA General Manager Manaf Mohamed states the Robin Singh has been named coach of the USA Women’s team for the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier next month in Bangladesh. The email was obtained from a source. It was written to the USACA board and a host of women’s players. As recently as five days ago, Mohamed said that Linden Fraser was going to be coaching the USA Women’s team in Bangladesh.

During an October 5 phone call, Mohamed was asked who would be running the USA Women’s camp scheduled for October 14-16 and responded, “That would be the coach, Linden Fraser. He’s the coach.” When asked if Fraser would be the coach for the team in Bangladesh, Mohamed responded, “As of right now yes, he’ll be the coach for Bangladesh.”

Image (right) - Robin Singh will be coaching the USA Women's team in Bangladesh. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Fraser went to Barbados with the USA Women’s squad in August to serve as coach during their 10-day training camp. He is also the coach of the highly successful Tri-State Lynx team which won this year’s USACA national championship. More than half of the 18-player USA squad plays for the Lynx while several other USA players are known to train with the Lynx. Fraser had been working with most of these women on a weekly basis since January by conducting conditioning and coaching sessions. Fraser is an ECB Level II Certified coach.

“I have nothing to do with that,” said Krish Prasad, chairman of the USACA Cricket Committee, of the decision to have Robin Singh be the women’s team coach in Bangladesh. Prasad says that up until he received today’s email, he fully believed that Fraser was the women’s team coach and would be going to Bangladesh. “I heard it when the team got the email. I was very surprised to hear that. Nobody I know was involved with that.” A call to Fraser’s phone late Monday afternoon went straight to voice mail while a call to Mohamed seeking comment also went to voice mail.

Prasad went on to say that as far as he knows, there have not been any plans made to fly the women’s squad to Florida this weekend for a final camp to be used for selection and without Fraser being involved, he doesn’t know how USACA will be able to pick the best 14 players to go to Bangladesh. “Robin Singh doesn’t know who these women are,” said Prasad.

Singh served as head coach of the USA U-19 team in Ireland at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier where they finished a disappointing seventh, failing to qualify for the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup. He currently serves as the head coach of the IPL’s Mumbai Indians, who won the 2011 Champions League T20 on Sunday.

USA Cricket: Majority of USA Women's squad writes USACA to protest inadequate stipend for World Cup Qualifier

openingbat — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:41:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna

Another dark cloud is casting a shadow over USACA this week as 13 players from the preliminary squad of 18 for the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier next month in Bangladesh have written an email to protest what they feel is unfair treatment over their proposed tour stipend for Bangladesh. The major issue outlined in an October 5 email written to the USACA board and obtained from a source is that men’s players receive as much as $175 per day as a tour stipend while the women are only being offered $100 per day for their time in Bangladesh. If the players do not agree to the $100 per day figure, their final camp scheduled for October 14-16 is in danger of being canceled. USACA is also threatening to replace the women with other players if they do not comply.

Among the names who have signed the email are leading players Candacy Atkins, Joan Alexander and 2011 USACA Women’s Tournament MVP Doris Francis as well as the only two American-born players in the squad, Erica Rendler and Shebani Bhaskar. There are 15 women in total who signed their names to the email, 13 in the original 18-player list announced by USACA in July and two other women who were not: Delkash Shahriarian and Geetha Reddy. The only big name who did not sign the email is Indomatie Goordial-John.

Image (right) - Doris Francis is one of 15 players unhappy with the amount of financial support being given to the USA Women's team. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket]

“Fifteen of the 18 USA Women players would like to bring to your attention the unjust and inadequate stipend of $100 per diem being offered to each player for the upcoming Bangladesh Tour and subsequently the threat of not having the final training camp,” the email begins. “For last July's tour to Canada, we were given roughly 30% more to play Canada in the 3-match series, in which we defeated Canada 3-0 to win our spot in the Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier and represent the ICC Americas. We were also given a promise of a bonus which has yet to be fulfilled.”

“Now, we are one tournament away from the Women's Cricket World Cup; and we are being offered less. We will be playing alongside top-ranked nations such as South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc. With all due respect, we are thrilled at representing the USA at this prestigious tournament and looking forward to achieving the goal of going to India; but we are feeling very much under-appreciated, disrespected, and simply disregarded for the achievements we have made thus far in our short history and underestimated, for what we can accomplish in Bangladesh.”

“Why isn't the 3-category compensation system used by the men being employed for the women?” the women’s email continues. “We do recognize that sports administrators world-wide have not caught up fully with equal pay for female and male athletes but: is a 43% ($175 for men) disparity between our stipends adequate given that our stipends are not driven by ticket sales? Is it adequate given that the men played division 3 (and now division 4) cricket and the women are playing for a World Cup spot yet the men still receive $175? Is it adequate given that we received more to play an ICC Americas competition in our backyard against a single team, three times?”

According to USACA Cricket Committee Chairman Krish Prasad, men’s national team players receive a stipend based on a three-tier system. Players who are playing in their first tournament for USA get $105 per day. Players who have previous senior team experience get $135 per day and players who have played in 75% of the senior team matches over a designated time period prior to the tournament for which they are being selected get $150 per day. However, at least one source claims that the three-tier payment structure was $125, $150 and $175. The last figure is what women’s players quoted as a comparative figure in their email. Men’s players also received a separate fee of anywhere between $100-200 extra to cover incidental expenses related to travel such as airline baggage fees for transporting cricket kit.

As part of an October 5 email in response to the women, USACA General Manager Manaf Mohamed claims that the $100 per day stipend was calculated in part based on the projected daily costs for expenses in Bangladesh and says that there is not enough historical evidence to grade women’s players according to a three-tier system like the men are.

“All players are being offered the same stipend as there is not enough of a history on USA Women's International cricket to grade players in terms of team seniority,” wrote Mohamed. “The stipend also took into consideration availability of funds and resonable [sic] expenses one may expect in Bangladesh.”

Prasad says that the men’s players received the same payment regardless of how expensive daily costs were in a touring destination, i.e. players on a tour of Nepal received the same per-day stipend rate as players on a tour of Bermuda, relative to their respective tier. He feels that the women are not being treated fairly and says that he has no idea who proposed the figure of $100 per day for the women since he’s been kept out of recent discussions pertaining to cricket related matters even though he is the chairman of the Cricket Committee.

“I think the women should be treated the same way as the men because they also have commitments and expenses and we should treat them the same way,” said Prasad on Sunday. “We never take advantage of the exchange rate or the cost of living per se. We were always dealing with a limited amount of resources but we’re always trying to do the best for the players.”

Prasad says that the 10-day women’s camp to Barbados in August cost roughly $63,000 meaning there should be $37,000 left from the $100,000 Apple Pickers Foundation grant earmarked for women’s cricket. Prasad says the remaining money should have been enough to hold a camp next weekend in Florida and also cover expenses for the first week in Bangladesh prior to the start of the qualifier. USA is due to leave for Bangladesh on November 5 with their first match taking place against South Africa on November 15.

Mohamed wrote though that he would not make arrangements for this weekend’s camp, including buying plane tickets, for any of the players in the squad until they agreed to the $100 per day stipend for Bangladesh. The longer the players hold out, the more expensive plane tickets will become. USACA must submit a final 14-player list for the qualifier to the ICC by October 15th and this weekend’s camp was intended as a final selection trial. If the stalemate between the players and USACA continues, the camp will most likely be canceled and alternate second-string players would be found to go to Bangladesh.

“USACA has an obligation and committment [sic] to participate in the ICC tournament, and if need be, will explore alternative arrangements to meet and honor its commitment,” wrote Mohamed. “Hopefully, that will not be necessary.” The women hope they will find support in the matter but time may be running out.

“Gentlemen, if you, the leaders and voices of men's, women's, and youth cricket of this country, do not believe in us; do not value our contributions and sacrifices being made to be successful,” wrote the women, “why should we play to win? As you know, females in the USA do not have established leagues but some of us play in men's leagues to meet that shortcoming. Some guys have the luxury of playing for various clubs across the country by virtue of clubs paying their expenses while some of us females pay out of pocket to travel cross-country to play matches and sometimes just to practice. Some of us are so committed to this cause and representing this country that we pay out of pocket for gym memberships, indoor cricket facilities rental, drive hundreds of miles to practice - expenses that we otherwise would not undertake. We do not expect to get reimbursement for these expenses though any national program would cover such; but we do expect that we have your 100% support when we step out of this country, wearing the USACA logo.”

The 15 women who have signed their name to the email protesting inadequate stipend payments for the tour to Bangladesh for the 2011 ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier:
Candacy Atkins
Joan Alexander
Doris Francis
Nadia Gruny
Triholder Marshall
Shondell Ward
Monique Mathee
Erica Rendler
Shebani Bhaskar
Melissa Sandy
Karen Bayles
Samantha Ramautar
Anahita Arora
Delkash Shahriarian
Geetha Reddy

USA Cricket: Men's & U-19 tournaments will not happen until USACA board meets

openingbat — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:05:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna

The USACA U-19 National Tournament originally scheduled for this upcoming weekend has been postponed. According to USACA General Manager Manaf Mohamed, no plans have been made for the tournament and there is a realistic chance that both the U-19 and the men’s 50-over national tournaments will not happen in 2011.

“That one we haven’t made any preparations for that,” said Mohamed about the U-19 tournament. “I just haven’t gotten approval to go ahead and do that so I’m waiting for the board to get back to me and give me approval. The board has got to approve it.” According to Mohamed, the board may hold an in-person meeting in Florida on October 15, but that has not been confirmed.

After the way last year’s U-19 National Championship turned out, with two teams struggling to make it to Los Angeles due to an east coast Christmas blizzard and those that did make it playing in cold conditions at Woodley Park, Mohamed is reluctant to hold the tournament in Los Angeles if can’t be organized before the end of October. The same problem holds true for Dallas as the site of the yet to be scheduled men’s 50-over national championship. If either tournament is going to happen in 2011, Mohamed says that Florida is the most likely host site.

The USA women’s team is scheduled to have a camp from October 14-16 in Fort Lauderdale. At the conclusion of the women’s national tournament in July, players were told that multiple camps would be held for them in preparation for the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh. The women had a 10-day camp in Barbados in early August but plans for a camp in September never materialized. Mohamed says that the camp scheduled for two weekends away will be the last chance for the preliminary list of 18 players to impress before the final group of 14 players is selected.

The final squad is scheduled to leave for Bangladesh on November 5. USA’s first match is against South Africa on November 15. Mohamed said there are no plans at the moment to organize any warm-up matches ahead of the first game.

Mohamed also said there haven’t been any plans made so far to prepare the men’s team ahead of next year’s World Twenty20 Qualifier. USA will be among 16 teams going after two spots in the 2012 World Twenty20 scheduled for September 18-October 7 in Sri Lanka. The qualifier is scheduled for March 13-24 in the UAE. USA beat Scotland at an eight-team qualifier in the UAE in February 2010 before losing to Ireland and Afghanistan.